Improvement in envelopes



.J. A. S. SIMONSON.

ENVELOPE.

No. 190,630. Patented May 8,1877.

Mhzesse's NJETERS, PHUTO-LITHOGRAFHER, WASHINGTON D C hereby declare that the following is a full,

' against being surreptitiously opened and re near its outer margin with an adhesive subter, and, after abstracting or reading its contured or bruised portion of the flap will be fastened immediately over the closed paste or the loosened fibers of the paper, will cause UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICEO JACOB. A. S. SIMON SON, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

lMPROVEMENT IN ENVELOPES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 190,630, dated May 8, 1871; application filed April 3, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JA.OOB A. S. SIMoNsoN, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Envelopes; and I do clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to envelopes for letters and other documents, and has for its object the effectual protection of the envelope sealed without being so marred or mutilated as to make detection certain.

Heretofore, in using letter-envelopes made with upper, lower, and side flaps, and with the inside surface of the upper flap smeared stance, that, on being moistened and said flap pressed down or closed, serves to seal the envelope, it has been comparatively an easy matter, by first steaming or otherwise dampening the envelope on its back, to open the lattents, to close and reseal the envelope without leaving any visible evidence of such tampering. To obviatethis, or to insure detection of the fact that the envelope has been tam pered with, as described, it has been proposed to apply a colored paste or gum to the back of the envelope, and to puncture or bruise the upper flap, so that in sealing the puncgum, which will strike through the bruised or broken lines in the flap, and,:by absorption of the adhesive substance when moistened by the outline of the bruise to-be indicated on the exterior of the upper flap, and, on any attempt to tamper with the envelope by moistening, the coloredfadhesive substance will be spread beyond the outline originally, given to it. 1

My invention does not necessarily involve the use of a specially-colored adhesive substance on the inner surface of the top or outer flap, and is not dependent upon any loosening of the fibers of the paper, so that it will readily absorb the adhesive substance when moistened, and, furthermore, is not based upon a colorable detection at all, but upon mechanical rupture of the sealing parts; and consists in so mutilating or marking the top or outer flap of the envelope, by punching, perforating or incising, and embossing it, that, after the envelope'has been once sealed, it cannot be opened and sealed again without exposing the punched, perforated or incised, and embossed parts to rupture or disarrangemeut.

The invention also consists in such a punched, perforated, or incised construction of the outer flap as that the portions of said flap which form margins to the openings made in it will present salient angles, whereby the unsealing of the envelope and sealing of it again, without tearing or disarranging the sealing parts, is rendered still more difficult or impossible.

Figure 1 represents a back view of one of my improved envelopes closed; and Fig. 2, a transverse section of the upper or outer flap of the envelope, upon a larger scale, in direction of the irregular line w m.

A is an envelope, which may be of the usual or any suitable form, but should have its side or end flaps a a pasted or cemented down over its bottom flap b, in order that the envelope cannot be opened through the bottom flap by slightly lifting the overlapping end of the top flap c.

This top flap c, which is broadly coated on its inner surface with gum, or its equivalent, where it overlaps the bottom and end flaps b and a a, I not only puncture, perforate, or incise-that is, out without removing materialin any regular and ornamental or irregular manner, where the gum is applied, as shown at d, e, f, and g, but I emboss such portion, and arrange the embossments h i it about or among the punched, perforated, or incised parts, or so that the embossments have the cuts or openings in them. The embossing is an important addition to the incising or perforating, and when an envelope is prepared as described, it cannot well be opened, after being sealed, without rupturing or disarranging the-sealing parts or surfaces of its upper or outer flap; but to make sure beyond all contingency that such cannot be done, I make certain or all of the perforations or incisions, as shown at e f g, of such a shape, without restricting myself to any particular form, as that their paper margins form or present salient angles which will necessarily tear or be irremediably disarrauged in unsealing the envelope by steaming or moistening, and so that any attempt to rearrange such angular portions would be impracticable.

I claim- 1. An envelope having its upper or outer flap constructed with perforated embossments, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

2. The upper or outer flap of an envelope, constructed with embossments which are cut, as described, whereby certain edges of the cut portions present salient angles, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

J. A. S. SIMONSON.

Witnesses:

HENRY 1. BROWN, FRED. HAYNEs. 

